We love a good neutral color with a bit of character. A krafty green adds a rustic and natural touch to any project – a tried and true staple when black or white just won’t due. GR-05 | Kraft Like a Rockstar Green is available in our full color line to include: hybrid ink, ink refills, […]

Pumpkin Spice season is officially here and we are celebrating in the studio making #PSL stationery while drinking pumpkin spice lattes, and munching on pumpkin bread while burning pumpkin spice candles. What can we say, we take our research on the subject pretty serious. That and we are sort of obsessing over how fun it is to create crafty projects for such a yummy time of the year.

Have you earned your free stamp of the month “Good Vibes Only” yet? You only have a few days left to place an order and receive the July Stamp of the Month freebie set. We used the Good Vibes Only stamp to create a set of Ombré note cards. You’ll love how easy it is to layer ink for a fun way to add color to your sentiments.

Gather up a few of your favorite CSS Hybrid Ink pads in a similar color family, so that you can create a pretty gradient of ombré color. We started by inking the stamp in the lightest of the three ink colors. Next we lightly dabbed the middle shade of ink on the bottom 2/3rds of the stamp, and finally inking the bottom in the darkest ink color. Read more →

It’s 2014 and we still have a few gifts to deliver. With so much going on during the holidays, we love to give our gifts to close friends a little bit after the holidays when things seem to quiet down some and you can actually spend quality time without having to rush off to your next holiday event.

And then there are always those moments when you realize (dare we say it) that you forgot someone! You certainly do not want them to feel like an after thought, so today we are sharing a few “winter” gifting ideas that are perfect for those post-holiday encounters…

Gift tags set the stage for any gift. It’s the first impression, and of course it’s functional too. This set of Tags 1 tags was designed by Stephany Zerbe and we simply adore them! Each tag features a rustic-chic collage design and the mix of neutral colors with pops of red in the twine translate beautifully for woodsy, winter scenes.

These tags will work for seasonal birthdays, weddings, you name it – simply switch out the banner sentiment to suite your needs. Be sure to stop by Stephany’s blog for more details on creating each tag.

Whoever invented the idea for packaging things in gift bags is a pure genius! Talk about a time saver…and to be honest, a cute gift bag is a gift all in itself. We love the rustic look of burlap paired with the soft texture of Simple Felt.

The Flurry die is a great size for creating large focal points on these burlap bags. With just a few steps, these little bags are handy to store away for any last minute grab-and-go gifts.

HOW- TO: (1) Follow iron-on adhesive instructions to adhere to felt. (2) Trim to the size of the die, and die cut. (3) Follow instructions to iron on the applique to the burlap bag. (4) Sew on a button embellishment. (5) Die cut and tie on a monogram Alpha Tag.

Hands down gift cards are by far the easiest solution to any gift giving dilemma…but they can be pretty, um, how do we say it – boring. Stores give you a branded envelope and more than likely we throw it inside another envelope and hand it off with little fan fare. But truth be told – WE LOVE GIFT CARDS! It’s like getting cash, who doesn’t love a little extra spending change in your pocket?! So we challenge you to dress up your gift cards. Turn them into an experience, after all a gift card is a pretty great gift!

Around here we are heavy coffee and tea drinkers. We are talking 3-5 cups by mid morning kind of drinkers (might explain the sleepless nights…), so coffee/tea gift cards are always a welcomed gift and our inspiration for this fun packaging.

We mentioned earlier that tags set the stage for gifting. So have fun with them and create themed tags.

Here we grabbed the Coffee Cup and Partial Tag dies and went to town creating a “To-Go Coffee Cup” tag. The sleeve serves as our to/from label. Festive, fun, and perfect for gifting a coffee gift card.

For the gift card, we used the Gift Card Inset die. This little die seriously makes gift card gifting that much more fun and is a definite must have in your creative stash!

HOW-TO: (1) Measure the box, and simply cut (2) panels of cardstock to fit. (2) Score both sides so that the panels will sit up at the top of the box. (3). Die cut Gift Card Inset from only one panel. (4) Adhere the top and very bottom of panel (right below the inset score line). (5) Stamp sentiments, insert gift card, and insert into box.

The lid was measured, and we cut an insert from Kraft Like a Rockstar Gift Wrap. We love that it is a lighter weight than cardstock, and will easily adhere to the lid. It is stamped with a single sentiment and coffee bean image repeatedly to build a pattern.

TIP: For an added treat (for the senses) fill the bottom of the box with loose coffee beans. Not only will it look pretty, but it will smell amazing too!

Style Watch

I’m in the mood for brown paper packages tied up with string. How about you?

After watching Thursday night’s live performance of the Sound of Music, I was totally inspired to bring you a Clear & Simple Stamps round up for holiday packaging featuring every crafter’s favorite neutral: Kraft – or as we call it… Kraft Like a Rockstar!

Today’s style board inspired me to dress up a few pretty packages for the holidays with a fun mix of signature CSS Colors:

Clear & Simple Stamps offers a TON of packaging dies and after today’s post, you’ll be hard pressed to pick a favorite. With a little holiday makeover, these dies are perfect for gifting a few of your “favorite things.”

Join me at Damask Love for a full supply list for each packaging idea as well as instructions!

Merry Christmas in any language is part of the sweet sounds of the holidays. We love to turn on our iTunes radio to the Christmas channel and let the music of the season fill the air. If you listen closely you can even hear us singing along as the day goes by – it’s starting to feel a little like Santa’s workshop here as we pack boxes, stock inventory, and create new projects to share.

When creating for the holidays, we are always mindful of designing simple card ideas that are great for mailing and easy to mass produce. The key is to create an interesting focal point and pairing of complimentary colors. Once the design is complete, recruit a few helpers for assembly and your holiday cards are ready to mail.

Style Watch: Gift Card Packaging Kit

If you’re like me, you hesitate to hand out gift cards, because they can seem a bit impersonal. But when you package them up using today’s Style Watch project, I think you may feel a little differently. With a few handmade touches, your gift card becomes a beautiful & special handcrafted present.

Scroll down for a list of supplies used to create today’s SW edition, and then I’ll see you over at Damask Love for more photos and tips about this simple project.

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All printables and downloads shared are copyright Clear and Simple Stamps, LLC. You may download and use them for personal, non-commercial use only. Not for resale or distribution. You may share the free printables and downloads on your blog or other social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc) as long as credit is given and linked back to Clear and Simple Stamps, LLC and its original post.
(Note: Print results may vary depending on the type of printer and/or paper)